SportsDoc

They will carry the game. But on this link: http://www.network1sports.com/N1KYYZ.html

Is there any word on Riley Nash?

Use this topic to update scores at the two Regionals. By game or by period.

I think what gets lost in any change of opponent arguement is that it takes time, effort, committment and money to pull any of these types of games off. The brothers in Miles City and Dickinson have done that and are entrenched as the game between their respective states. They have a history now, and that helps, too. They also have a charity to help with manpower and logistics (Knights of Columbus, I believe). It would be difficult to drop the current game, unless one state wants out. I had heard Montana considered pulling out a few years ago because they had won several years in a row by large margins and felt the competitive balance was just not there. It has been better recently. Their may have been some East-West ND bias playing out here for a while, too. It seemed ND was not getting many top notch AAA Eastern players, while Montana was getting all their best players. Now, it seems ND is getting most of their best players. The game has been more competetive recently, as I remember. As to some combo set of games, that would also be hard to pull off. Most of these kids also play in the Shrine game in their respective state, and there have been instances where some player's college coach has not allowed the player to risk the chance of injury playing another summer game. That, even though most players redshirt anyway their first year. It's seems best to leave the game as is and just convince our best players to play in the game, as Montana seems to be able to do.

Bottineau is a much improved team this year, and Dave Hoff is an excellent coach. But, they are what they are. And that is the number 7 seed in the West. They are not in the top four. Could they get to State? Yes. But it is a long shot. Bottineau (according to Bob Gillen's website, which is always quite accurate) has not beaten any of the top 5 teams "officially" and split with #6 Dickinson. I suspect (do not take offense to this, please) that both Minot and Bismarck took them lightly in four point games. Both coaches alluded to such in print. I feel that Bismarck and Minot are the two most talented teams and they are seeded #1 and #2. #3 seed Jamestown beat Bottineau soundly, twice, 7-2 and 6-0. #4 seed Williston beat them twice by identical 4-1 scores. I'm not rooting against you or Bottineau. The facts don't back up your assertion of a top four team.

Thank you. I meant credits, not hours. Sorry ... again.

Hate, no. disappointment at times, yes. I have not heard any unusual response to Lee that isn't just generic fuming at a bad play by one of the Sioux players. Now, there is this one guy in Section 114. We've actually nicknamed him "Lee Hater" because of the way he acts, but no one else I am aware of. He only comes on Friday nights and whenever Lee does anything we always look over to see his reaction. Quite humorous, actually, since he seems he just cannot enjoy the game. But, that's his problem. Lee has tremendous offensive skills. He needs to be a better defensive player consistently. I think that's all we're looking and hoping for. No hate here.

First, I need to apologize for the name this post was written under. I used someone else's computer and forgot to change the user name that it defaulted too. It was me who posted the response in question here. Second, if you read closely, I said 32 hours by the same measurement. Meaning in undergrad a 3 credit course (nonlab) typically meets for three hours per week. In my dental curriculum we took about 20 hours, credit wise, each semester the first two years, but that 20 hours required me to be at the school either in class or lab from 8 to noon and then 1 to 5, Monday through Friday. That did not include study time. By typical undergrad measurement that might even exceed 32 credit hours. That was my point for the well rounded student who can do that and still get the studying done in the hours beyond that time in those types of programs.

Plus, they get a kick-back of 1.5 to 2% from the supplier (Ford, GM, etc.) on new vehicles after the sale. So, even if they sell for "cost" they will make about 2% on the sale.

I don't see "Matt" as negatively as some of you have. He asks some legitimate questions, and though I don't agree with his aggregate conclusions, there are many out there who do. He's new and asking questions. That doesn't make him a hidden negative Bison poster. At least not to me. In some posts some were quite harsh, but he took it in stride and did not strike back venomously. I think he could be cut a little slack from some of you. Sidenote #1: I was in Arizona all last week and got high fived by two total strangers at two seperate times who shouted "Go Sioux" as we passed, me in Sioux gear, of course. Never heard a negative word. I think outside academia's walls this issue actually has no impact on the general public, nor do they care one lick about it. College sports fans or not. We're just too close to the issue (on both sides) to see that. Sidenote #2: Thanks to AzSioux for the R.T. O'Sullivan's tip for Sioux-Gopher game. It was definitely a Sioux hangout in Phoenix!

Relax, it wasn't really hockey!

This bill makes sense to me. There are checks and balances, here. The college faculty and staff are responsible to the President, the Presidents are responsible to the Chancellor and then the Chancellor is responsible to the SBofHE. You need the geographically spread college Presidents responsible to someone who has day to day access to issues of Higher Education. That is the Chancellor (or should be). The SBofHE are lay people with full time jobs (usually) spread throughout the state. You do not want them micro-managing the system in that context. Plus they only meet a few times yearly. Yet, if the Chancellor oversteps his bounds, is negligent or cannot do the job properly, the SBofHE can deal with him/her on that basis. Whether that be firing, not rehiring or reprimanding.

The fight tape at the Moon is absolutely CLASSIC!!! A must see for any college hockey fan, as many of the fights are not even Sioux games. Some Michigan/Michigan State and some Gophers. Plus, some great hockey memorabilia on the walls.

Thanks for the effort on the update. My take will be West only, since that's all I see. Minot and Bismarck are #1 and #2. Jamestown can beat either of them if they stay out of the box, get decent goaltending and their top line plays well, which they usually do. Williston is better than Bottineau at this point, but if Bottineau gets goaltending and you give a Dave Hoff team a sniff, they'll make a run at you. Depth has always been their Achilles heel, and at Regional you need to win 2 out of 3 in three consecutive days, so they need to have their legs and play well day three to get to state, which I would love to see. Century does not seem to be able to score. I have not seen Dickinson. Mandan and H/B are not going anywhere in the post-season this year.

I'll take Ryan Duncan this year. As many goals as he has scored, he still seems to fly under the radar. Love his effort, too.

Consequences of blurring the line between coach and friend can be as innocent as no discipline of the team/player all the way to providing alcohol for team/player on up to sexual misconduct. All of these have happened in ND within the past 5 years.

I could not disagree more. High School coaches are to be respected and trusted, but are not friends to their players (at least not while they are still players). As a coach, at this level, becoming the players friend could have devastating consequences. Friends, while trust and respect are good attributes to have, must also on some level be peers. Coaches, by their very nature, are not peers. For instance, discipline: coaches need to, and in fact are expected to, handle player and team discipline. Friends do not. Friends may advise and be a sounding board or even suggest what to do. But they do not handle the discipline. Coaches, teachers and parents do, and while they are doing so they are not friends in that sense, though they may be liked. When parents, coaches and teachers become HS students friends, bad things happen.

So then who is?

See previous post!

Welcome to the real world!

I think too many people are over-reacting to the officiating. Hockey is so subjective that excellence in officiating is like a Picaso painting, some see beauty, some see ugly in the same painting, or in this case, the same call / no call. Is there room for improvement? Of course, always is in anything in life. Are WCHA officials held to a high standard? I believe they are. Are East officials better? I don't know. Do I scream and cry foul during games? Of course I do! But when I reflect, I see it differently. I would like to believe that the WCHA hires the best available referees. Now, having said that, I would like to see them adjust to the new NHL, no clutch, no impede style. And they have not. The WCHA is still a clutch and grab league, and that's too bad. But it takes time to adjust, and it does take the Commissioner and Supervisor to "protect" the officials during that adjustment time. So, if they are not adjusting, the blame may well lie at the top of the WCHA. We are not going to get NHL refs, they are under contract. We should expect, from the best college league in the country, to have the best amatuer officials available. If there are better officials out there, the WCHA needs to identify them, train them and use them. But a blanket statement to get rid of so and so ... I don't think that's a good idea. The replacement might be much worse! Individually, I'm not a huge Shepherd fan, but I have felt that Campion and Randy Schmidt have been consistent this year in games I've seen. I still miss Mike Schmitt, he was always the best the WCHA and NCAA had to offer in a big game or series. Now, I hope the Mankato coaches get a stiff suspension from their Sunday actions. Important for the league to send a strong message about going after officials after a game. I watched that game and did not see it as poorly officiated as a disinterested viewer.

I'm getting it on Midcontinent Digital Cable here in Williston tonight.

Okie Dokie.

The length of the list of players is impressive. The schools, for the most part, are anything but. And nice try putting the National Development team of 16 year olds on there! Must be a great league if USA Hockey moves their players out at 17! Take out the NDT players and the list is long and unimpressive. Will it improve? Maybe, but no for sures on that. Seems to me some of you who slam any posts that praise the West in HS hockey, go to great (and very similar arguements) lengths to uplift the NAHL. Go back and substitute "West" for NAHL and "East" for USHL and I bet you see some of your posts differently. As for an individual player moving from the USHL to the NAHL, could be lots of reasons. Homesick, misses friends, misses girlfriend, doesn't like being out of their "comfort" zone away from home, all of the above. I don't see Sioux/Gopher HS recruits who are not ready for UND or Minnesota being told to play in the NAHL for a year or two. Quite the opposite, they are sent to the USHL to become D-I ready.

I, for one, will not put the NAHL in the same catagory as the USHL. I do not think it is even close the number of WCHA, Hockey East or CCHA scholorship players currently on their rosters from the USHL compared to the NAHL. Also, Junior Hockey is a business. The owners are trying to make money by putting butts in the seats, so there is always a splattering of "local" talent to draw the fans. The rub is to mix that with the talent level necessary to win. Part of what that means is teams like F/M and Bismarck need some "locals" from ND to help attendance that might not otherwise be on those teams, so it might well skew your numbers even more, compared to USHL numbers where ND players are there strictly because of their talent level. My point is there are probably bubble players on the rosters of F/M and Bismarck from ND (or western Mn.). Maybe not, but I would suspect from the business side, there is. In the USHL that player would be from close to the team's home, if he's around at all. That means, in reality, there are 5 ND players from last year's class playing top notch, D-I recruited, Junior Hockey. You can look at it however you want, that is how I look at it.